Devil's Ressurection
by Liu Wei
Summary: Finished! Girl dresses up as a man, sneaks into army, and ends up joining Nataku on a 2soldier mission.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Yung Lei walked briskly down a corridor, her hands cold and her nervousness at its height. 

 "She's got to allow me, she's got to." she muttered  to herself as she tried to hide her nervousness by looking confident.

She reached her mother's chamber and knocked.

"Come in," came her mother's stern reply.

Yung Lei opened the door and entered. She faced her mother, who was sitting on a high-backed chair.

The goddess of chastity was very beautiful; for she had a shapely body, fair complexion, lush lips, and watery, blue eyes. Her hair was long and black, which was one of the things that she passed on to her daughter.

Yung Lei was equally beautiful, but she inherited her father's boldness and love for adventure. She never even dressed up much like a woman, and if it weren't for her mother's intrusion, she would have cut her hair short.

"What is it Yung Lei?" the goddess inquired. 

"Okasan, I never want to disobey you, but I want to be a soldier, just like father." Yung Lei said confidently.

Her mother went white, and she looked she had seen a ghost.

"A…a soldier?!"

Yung Lei already knew what her answer would be.

"You will not be a soldier. I do not want you having anything to do with the military." her mother said calmly, though she was shaky. "Do you understand me?"

Yung Lei looked at her feet and muttered, "Whatever you say, mother", though deep within her, she did not want to say that.


	2. Shu's Defeat

-Chapter one: Shu's Defeat  
  
"Fighting-god, Nataku Taishi, come forward."  
  
Nataku walked slowly and confidently down the aisle and kneeled in front of Kami-sama.  
  
"Nataku, you are to descend to Togenkyo to subdue a demon named Shu and his gang," Kami-sama ordered.  
  
"Hai," Nataku answered and stood up. Then, he went to assemble his army.  
  
Unknown to the great fighting-god, someone was good enough to follow him undetected.  
All the members of the Heavenly Army were assembled at the gate of heaven.  
  
Homura and Shien waited composedly for Nataku; Kenren smoked like a chimney; and Zeon reloaded his gun excitedly. The rest of the army just either kept quiet or talked with the soldier nearest him, asking if he had any idea on their new mission.  
  
Nataku arrived and stood on a stage before them all, just as an unfamiliar face settled itself in the midst of the crowd.  
  
The fighting-god cleared his throat to give his usual, short speech.  
  
"Heavenly Army, we are to descend to southern Togenkyo to kill a gang of demons led by one named 'Shu'. I expect everyone to perform well and fight bravely. Now let's go."  
  
Nataku and the rest of the army floated in midair for a while, then, with Nataku leading, the soared through heaven's gate and descended.  
"Where are you going?" sneered a demon as he picked up a weeping, little boy from the ground.  
  
The boy trembled and began to cry, but the demon showed no pity and ate the child whole, lowering the struggling figure into his mouth.  
  
"Boo, bring some more of these things," the demon told a smaller one who was scuttling on the ground next to him.  
  
Boo whisked away behind a house.  
  
The larger demon, who had just ate, was named Shu. He was about eight feet in height, had blue skin, a mouthful of razor-like teeth, and a thorn in the middle of his forehead. Any human would tremble with terror at the sight of the monster, and any human would smell the stench of mixed blood, sweat, and rotting flesh that came from him.  
  
But these things were ordinary characteristics of a demon. Shu had something special. There was a reason more important than food why he was terrorizing the town. Of course, only he and his fellows knew it.  
  
The town, which was once filled with happy, hardworking people, was now infested with demons and reeked of blood. Sickening screams and shrieks of both horrified people and blood-thirsty demons echoed in every corner of the town.  
"Boo! Where are you, you damned critter?" yelled Shu as he walked around.  
  
He turned around a corner and into an alley. There, he saw Boo's dead body.  
  
"What the-?"  
  
He suddenly heard battle cries and peeped from out of the alley. On the road was a sight that makes every demon's blood run dry: The Heavenly Army.  
"Whahahaha!!!" laughed Zeon as he continually rained bullets on the attacking demons.  
  
"Zeon, watch it with that thing! You almost shot me!" said Kenren as he jumped away from Zeon's gunfire.  
  
Everyone, even Nataku, fought like killing demons was like some kind of play, and this fact puzzled a new face in the army.  
  
Kenren blew a demon to smithereens with an energy ball and looked behind him for more. His red eyes fell upon a young fighting-god, about a hundred years younger than him, being ambushed by a dozen demons. Following his instincts, he rushed to the scene and in one blow, killed half of the demons.  
  
The young fighting-god pulled two swords out from their sheaths and slashed the other half.  
  
" I appreciate the help, but I could've done it myself." Said the black- haired fighting-god.  
  
Kenren looked at him. He was shorter than Kenren and had hair that covered half of his face. His eyes were blue and showed a unique determination. He had a smooth, girlish face, a body that wasn't as big as a man's and his shoulders were narrower than usual.  
  
" I haven't seen you before." said Kenren. "You're new, aren't you?"  
  
"Uh.yes," he answered.  
  
"That's funny, I didn't know Nataku-sama opened up a place for a new recruit."  
  
" Ah, you see, I was transferred from the West Army."  
  
" Shouldn't we stop talking and just fight?" the young fighting-god suggested.  
  
"You're a serious one." said Kenren, resuming his battle stance. "What's your name?"  
  
"Lei.Han Lei."  
  
"Kenren."  
  
With that, Lei attacked two more demons and managed to kill one, but the other scratched him before he scratched it.  
  
Suddenly, Homura shouted from nearby.  
  
"Hey guys, look! Nataku's fighting the leader!"  
  
Everyone, except Lei, ran to Homura's voice as if there was a cockfight.  
  
"What's so important about that? This an important mission we're doing." Muttered Lei as she followed Kenren.  
  
Just outside the town, a crowd formed around Nataku and Shu. They were cheering madly, and Lei shook his head disapprovingly.  
  
The demon looked nervous with all the fighting-gods around him, but kept his cool and attacked Nataku.  
  
Nataku, however, didn't look challenged much and just stood calmly.  
  
Shu charged like a large sumo wrestler, his fats wobbling around like water. When he neared Nataku, the fighting-god leaped high into the air and behind Shu, aiming a powerful helicopter-kick at the demon's head. Shu's massive bulk fell to the ground with a loud thud, and the army cheered.  
  
Shu groaned with pain, and then slowly stood up. Angered, he attacked Nataku again, but the fighting-god thought it appropriate to finish it quickly, so he formed an energy ball and killed Shu instantly.  
  
"Master." screamed Shu just before he was blown up.  
  
"That demon still has a master. I wonder who is it?" Shien mumbled pensively.  
  
"Our mission is done for now." Nataku announced. "If you're sure that no demons are left, let's ascend back up."  
  
After confirming their victory and bandaging the wounded, the army flew back to Tenkai.  
  
"You know."said Kenren as he flew near Lei. "If it wasn't for your voice and your chest, I would've mistaken you for a girl."  
  
"What?" Lei said suddenly, his flight slowing down slightly.  
  
Kenren misunderstood Lei's surprise.  
  
"Oh, it's not an insult or anything. Just a thought."  
  
If it wasn't for the wind that blew Lei's hair over his face, Kenren could have seen Lei's guilty and worried look. 


	3. Discovery

Chapter two: Discovery  
  
In a dark cavern, a demon stared at his master's stone-like face and body. His master, who remained spellbound for so long, seemed like a part of the cavern wall that he was attached to. Several talismans surrounded the human-like demon to ward off evil.  
  
"It won't be long, master Zerev." Muttered the demon, as if he was talking to a real master.  
  
Another demon walked into the cavern and said as politely as he could, "Shu failed."  
  
"No matter, we still have more demons." answered his superior.  
  
"Who shall we send?"  
  
"You."  
  
* * *  
Up in Tenkai, Kenren and Lei had started becoming friends.  
  
"Nataku-sama looks serious most of the time, but he can get really naughty at times."  
  
said Kenren as he walked with his hands in his pockets.  
  
Lei walked beside him, but kept quiet and stared at his toes.  
  
"You're very quiet, you kniow that?" commented Kenren.  
  
"Lei raised hios head and laughed. Kenren stared at him.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"Ah, nothing. Ijust rememebered something."  
  
When they turned around a corner, Lei suddenly stopped as if he saw a ghost somewhere ahead. He pulled Kenren back and hid behind the corner.  
  
"What is it?" asked Kenren.  
  
"Uh.nothing.I.I just want to eat."  
  
Kenren raised a suspicious brow, but Lei got behind him and pushed him away from the corner and to the restaurant. Just before Lei dragged him, away, Kenren caught a glimpse of a black- haired goddess pass through the corridor where Lei didn't want to go.  
"Another mission? Demons are very common these days aren't they?"  
  
"I suggest we head to the gate immediately." Shien told Kenren.  
  
"Hai, hai. Just let me call that kid."  
  
Kenren turned away from Shien and called Lei, who was sitting up a tree.  
  
"Lei, we've got a mission."  
  
Lei jumped down the treee and joined Shien and Kenren to the gate.  
An hour later, the Heavenly Army was busy in battle. Homura's scimitar had slain a fair many, and Shien's whip was working faster than an atomic bomb.  
  
Lei was doing rather well, but a demon had managed to jump on him from behind, so Lei had a deep scratch wound on his back.  
  
Nataku Taishi, ofcoiurse, was killing more than any of them, and was looking for the leader. Just when the fighting-god had finished off a demon, another one twice his height attacked him from behind.  
  
Nataku sensed him and jumped away just in time. The demon hurled a punch from above, but instead of hitting Nataku, his fist created a large crater on the ground.  
  
"For a kid, you're fast." complimented the demon.  
  
Nataku said nothing.  
  
The demon attacked again, raining his fists at Nataku one after another. Nataku ducked from each blow easily. Finally, the god hurled an uppercut, which sent the demon flying and falling ten meters away.  
  
The demon recovered easily and slowly stood up, his nails lengthening.  
  
"I always hated fighting-gods." muttered the demon.  
  
With his nails about a foot long, he attacked Nataku again, and this time, Nataku attacked at the same time, so the two clashed head-on. Obviously, Nataku was the better fighter, so it was his attack that had its effect. The demon fell to the ground, and just before his body disappeared, Nataku saw an emblem on the back of his neck. If Nataku remembered correctly, it was the same thing on Shu's neck.  
  
The fighting god stood pensively, pondering on the newly found clue.  
  
Meanwhile, Lei was struggling to hold his swords, for the scratch on his back was more than a wound, and contained poison. Even a god would be weakened by a demon's venom.  
  
No one noticed his worn look, and so the poor fighting-god staggered dizzily around. He wasn't completely defenseless, though. He still could slash a demon or two who would go near him.  
  
Lei found his way near Nataku, but his superior was too busy fighting to notice him. Unexpectedly, a flying demon soared over them, shooting arrows at the fighting-gods. One of the arrows hit Lei just below the collar, piercing through flesh and bone.  
  
As Lei fell to the ground, Zeon aimed at the demon and shot it out of the air.  
  
Nataku looked out onto the battle field, checking if any of men were badly hurt. He spotted Lei and went to help the soldier.  
  
Lei opened his eyes and saw Nataku beside him.  
  
"Nataku, I'll slow you down. Leave me." he muttered.  
  
Nataku smiled.  
  
" I don't leave my soldiers to die if they still have a chance to live." he said.  
  
Nataku carried Lei to a safer place to treat him, and found a spot behind some rocks. By then, Lei was unconscious. Nataku broke off the arrow's end and pulled the arrow out. Finding the blood to be flowing out too quickly, he decided to bandage the wound.  
  
Nataku ripped off Lei's shirt, but when he did, he let out a shocked and terrified scream. He went as white as marble, his mouth hung open in shock, and his body went rigid. He stared, gaping, at Lei's chest, a horrified look on his face.  
  
"Nataku-sama!" someone suddenly called.  
  
Nataku jerked back to his senses and climbed up a rock to answer, his hands still trembling.  
  
"Nataku-sama, what was that sream?" asked Kenren, who heard Nataku's scream and went to see what was wrong.  
  
"Ah.nothing, nothing at all. I'm fine." Nataku stuttered.  
  
Kenren was slightly doubtful, but he told himself to trust Nataku and flew back to battle. Nataku jumped back to Lei and ripped off his sleeves.  
  
"He's a soldier, he's a soldier." Nataku muttered to himself as he bandaged Lei, trying not to look at the victim. * * *  
  
Lei opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She recognized it as the ceiling in her room in Kami-sama's palace.  
  
She sat up and felt slightly dizzy. Even more, there was a slight pain above her chest. Then, she noticed Nataku, sitting with his legs crossed as he floated in the air in front of her bed. The fighting-god's head was lowered and his face was hidden.  
  
"Nataku-sama..." she began.  
  
Nataku looked up, a grave look on his face.  
  
"You're a girl," he said. He wasn't asking a question.  
  
The blood drained from Lei's face. She looked at her chest, and recognized the cloth wrapped around it. She stared back at Nataku, completely speechless.  
  
"I."she mumbled, trying to explain, but she was lost for words.  
  
It took a long time before a sound was heard, which was the knocking on the door. Nataku and Lei didn't move; each one was waiting for the other to answer. Whoever was at the door knocked again. Nataku didn't answer it, and the knock came again. Irritated, Nataku opened the door slightly and looked outside. It was Kenren again.  
  
"Na-"  
  
"Go away," Nataku said and slammed the door in front of Kenren's face.  
  
Nataku went back to Lei as if nothing happened.  
  
"Tell me."said Nataku with a serious tone. "Who the hell gave you the idea of dressing up as a man?" he added angrily.  
  
Lei didn't answer and couldn't even look at him.  
  
"Of all armies, it had to be mine!"  
  
Nataku floated in the air again, moving nearer Lei with his confusion and anger.  
  
"Aaargh! What will I do with you?" he snarled, ruffling his hair. "There's never been a female soldier before."  
  
Lei just sat there, staring at her hands which she clutched on her lap.  
  
Nataku calmed himself and floated with both arms and legs crossed.  
  
"What'll I do with you? Impersonating a soldier is a serious offense.but I'm not good at thinking up of punishments."  
  
Unexpectedly, the door burst open. It happened so fast that Lei didn't have time to cover herself, and Nataku was so surprised that he fell out of the air and onto Lei's bed, facing the door.  
  
Shien was the culprit, and when he saw what was in the room, his unhinged brain made a hasty conclusion.  
  
He stared at Natku, who was still at a state of shock, and then at Lei, who was half-naked except for the bandages she wore around her chest and the pants that she wore under the blanket.  
  
"Nataku-sama, how could you do such a thing?" He exclaimed, shocked.  
  
Nataku blinked several times before he realized what Shien had said. He floated up to him and hit Shien on the head.  
  
"BAKERO! What do you think I was doing?" Nataku yelled.  
  
"Well, what do YOU think it looked like?"  
  
Nataku didn't answer and instead asked, "What're you doing here anyway?"  
  
Shien didn't have to answer. Kami-sama himself appeared before the door, his servants in tow.  
  
"Kami-sama!" Lei exclaimed, surprised. She stood up and kneeled beside her bed.  
  
Kami-sama looked at Nataku, then at Lei, and then back at Nataku.  
  
"Nataku Taishi." he said without the slightest change of expression. "If you think that talking with this woman is more important than meeting me, then you lack the obedience I want in a fighting-god." Nataku looked up, expecting the inevitable.  
  
"However." Kami-sama added. "I will be merciful and give you a light punishment. You are to execute a mission, with no other soldier but this girl."  
  
Lei looked up at Kami-sama, not knowing whether to be glad or horrified. Kami-sama continued.  
  
"Your mission is to stop the revival of the demon, Zerev, and you will stay in Togenkyo unless you finish the mission."  
  
Nataku looked like he was deprived of everything he had.  
  
"You will leave Tenkai tomorrow." Kami-sama added and left.  
  
The three people in the room stared at the door even if there wasn't anyone there. 


	4. The Fighting God's Descent

Chapter three: The Fighting God's Descent

"Who's Zerev?" asked Lei as she followed Nataku, who was walking briskly down the corridors.

"He was a demon who almost destroyed Tenkai about 6000 years ago. I remember him being spellbound, but I can't remember who did the spellbinding and where." answered Nataku.

"How can we stop whoever is trying to revive him if –"

"I know someone who knows."

"Tenpo!" Nataku called as he knocked on the adjutant's door.

No answer.

"Tenpo, this important!" Nataku knocked again.

This time, the door opened. Tenpo emerged, his hair messy and a smile in his face.

"Hello. I'm sorry if I didn't answer sooner." Tenpo said cheerfully and beckoned Nataku and Lei inside.

Lei looked around Tenpo's room. One could say that a hurricane had just passed through it, for books and scrolls lay almost everywhwere.

"What brings you here, Nataku-sama?" asked Tenpo.

"Tenpo, do you know about Zerev?" asked Nataku as Lei walked freely around the room.

"Yes, I do," Tenpo answered, walking to a shelf and taking out a book. 'He tried to destroy Tenkai 6002 years ago, but failed when a fighting god spell bounded him."

"Do you know where the spell binding was done?"

"I'm afraid I haven't read anything saying where it was done, but I know that it was executed by the fighting god in those times, Kaiten."

Lei suddenly stopped walking and faced Tenpo.

_Kaiten…,_she thought. _That name sounds familiar…_

"Kaiten used a special spell binding which they say only he could have done because of the power the spell binding required –"

"Tenpo, I'm not interested in Kaiten, unless he's still alive and can tell us where he spell-binded Zerev." Nataku cut in.

"Well…" Tenpo muttered. "Kaiten's already dead."

"Oh, no…" Nataku murmured to himself.

"It's sad…" Tenpo muttered. "…how he could have been the greatest fighting god…you must've remembered him, Nataku, you replaced him."

"How did he die?" Lei asked with a sudden enthusiasm that surprised Tenpo.

"He was hit on the head by a coconut." Tenpo answered with a smile, though he wasn't joking.

Nataku and Lei didn't ask.

Then, a thought struck Lei.

_Wait a minute, can it be…?_

"Kaiten…he's my grandfather."

"What?"

The next day, Nataku and Lei were sent to Togenkyo. Kenren muttered to himself that he'd miss his 'little friend"; Nataku stayed for a moment to hit Kenren for not telling him that Kami-sama been looking for him the other day; Homura was at ease, for he knew that Nataku would succeed; but Shien held on to his beliefs that something would happen once Nataku and Lei were in Togenkyo.

Just before Nataku left, Tenpo came to the gate and told him that he would send word of Zerev's whereabouts as soon as he found out. After that, the fighting god desceded.   


	5. An Apprentice

Chapter four: An Apprentice 

Nataku's favorite place in Togenkyo was a patch of wood on a hill overlooking a nearby village. In this certain place, the trees were tall and had layers and layers of leaves, the wind was warm, and the water was cool.

Many people don't understand Nataku's taste because Tenkai had more beautiful trees, but lei found the place beautiful even if there were no cherry trees.

She roamed around freely, though she couldn't understand why it was Nataku's favorite. She understood its beauty, but not the place's uniqueness.

She heard a waterfall and went to it. There, she saw Nataku, who was standing on a ledge that faced the waterfall.

Not noticing her, Nataku leaped into the air, and taking a scimitar from beneath his robe, slashed his weapon across the waterfall, stopping the water from falling for several seconds. Lei stared at the feat in awe as Nataku landed on the ledge.

"Sugoi, Nataku-sama!" she exclaimed.

Nataku jumped and looked behind him. 

"How long have you been here?" he asked with a slight suspicion.

"Not very long." Lei answered. "Can-can you teach me how to do that?" she added eagerly.

Nataku raised an eyebrow and turned around.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?" Lei inquired, walking after him.

"It depends if you have the skill or not." Nataku said, sheathing his sword beneath his robes. 

"I _do_ have the skill, I know I do!" Lei said with a determined air.

Nataku stared at her and finally said, "Okay, I'll teach you. I don't have much to do till I know where Zerev is, anyway."

In his mind, he added, _Let's see what Kaiten's kin can do._

 And that was how Lei became Nataku's apprentice.

Nataku quickly started his _training program_ by first improving Lei's sword skills.

Lei learned new techniques as quickly as a computer, but her greatest weakness was the waterfall slashing.

"Remember, even the height and length of the jump may affect the outcome." Nataku instructed.

Lei resumed her stance, pulled her sword slightly out of its sheath, and leaped. She slashed, but instead of being cut, the falling water pushed down on her sword and made her lose balance and fall on her back on the ledge.

"Owww…" she moaned and sat up, feeling her back.

Nataku, though, didn't care if Lei was injured and whacked his sheathed sword on her head.

"Ow!" Lei yelled.

"Bakero! I told you that the blade should glide quickly but smoothly through the water in a horizontal direction." Nataku directed sternly.

Lei didn't complain as she clutched her head.

Nataku was very strict and a perfectionist. He would often discipline Lei by hitting her on the head, which means that her head would ache terribly by the end of each day.

But Lei learned to overcome her weakness quickly after a series of mistakes such as a wrong landing, or her sword's falling to the water, or her accidentally letting go of her sword, causing it to spin dangerously over Nataku's head.

After the sword training was the making of energy balls, which she learned immediately.

Just when Lei thought everything was over, the worst was only to come-Nataku decided to teach her how to use the Heaven and Earth Sutras, which he borrowed from the five Sanzos.

"There might be an instance that when Zerev _is _revived, I won't be able to perform the spell binding." reasoned Nataku.

"Like with the sword, the slightest loss of concentration can cause devastating effects. The Heaven and Earth Sutras are not toys." Nataku reminded her again and again.

The fighting god was right, for even to a 8000-year-old god, using the sutras was difficult. What more to a 500-year-old one?

During her training, Lei had ended up spell binding herself and turning her hands to stone.

"Yes!" Lei exclaimed after a trial.

The horse she was supposed to spellbind was successfully turned into a statue in front of her. 

"Nataku-sama, I did it!" she said excitedly, turning around to see Nataku's reaction. "I-are?"

Nataku sat on a boulder, his body as immobile as the rock he sat on. He had been spell binded.

"Nataku-sama!" Lei shrieked, horror-stricken. "Gomen! Gomen nasai!"

Fortunately, Lei was able to bring Nataku back. All she received as punishment was a whack on the head, an entire night of carrying a boulder on her shoulders, and the task of returning the sutras to each Sanzo. 

A month went by, and still no word from Tenpo. Nataku started traveling to look for information himself, but to no avail. The fighting god started to become more restless, for it was as though he could sense Zerev awakening little by little. One day, he finally decided to see where all Lei's training had gotten to, for he knew that the day of battle was quickly approaching. 

"If you manage to touch my bangs, you can accompany me on the mission." Nataku told Lei.

Lei stared confusedly at him, not quite understanding.

"It's a test. Being sent along with me to Togenkyo doesn't mean you can come with me to an important mission. I still have to know if you're competent enough."  he

explained.

Lei hesitated for a moment.

"Well?" said Nataku. "What are you waiting for? Attack me!"

"Ha-hai!" Lei replied in obedience and lunged at Nataku.

The task may seem easy, but it wasn't. Nataku ducked and flew away like the wind. Lei flew after him, winding in between trees.

The chase went on till three hours later, but Lei still hadn't gotten closer than a meter. Nataku swerved, ducked, spun, and tumbled out of her reach. Finally, she collapsed, panting, on the grass. 

"It's too hard! I can't even touch the hem of his robes!" she complained.

Nataku stopped for a while and stood a few meters from her.

"What? Tired already?" he said half tauntingly.  

Lei suddenly stood up and jumped at him, but Nataku was to fast t get caught easily. He ducked and Lei fell face-first on the ground.

Nataku stopped again and looked back at Lei. He was surprised, for she just sat there, hugging her knees, a tear in her eye. At first he thought it was one of her tactics. He carefully approached her, but she didn't move, even if he was close enough for her to lunge at him.

"Nani? What happened to your determination? I you really want to be fighting god, you better not tire easily." said Nataku.

Lei looked up to him and muttered, "You're too fast. I can't do it."

Nataku was stunned, for until now, Lei had shown so much determination.

"What happened to Han Lei?" said Nataku. "I didn't train a girl, I trained the hair-brained _god_ who sneaked into my army."

Lei looked up.

"If you're going to give up now, what the fuck was all that training for?" Nataku added. "You just wasted my time, then!"

Lei stared at the ground again.

"You're too careful with me. Sometimes, a soldier has to get rough, even with his superiors, to accomplish a task." Nataku said. "I give you permission to do anything to accomplish this task."

Lei thought for a second, then, her eyes lighted up. Nataku backed away slowly.

"Sumi masen, can I be excused, please?" Lei asked, doing a low bow.

Nataku was puzzled, but let her go. Lei ran off in a cheerful manner.

She returned thirty minutes later, grasping one of her swords. Nataku stared. He said she could do anything, but did she think of cutting him up just to touch his bangs?

Lei unsheathed her falchion-style blade and said, "Now, shall we start?"

Lei started slashing her sword, and as Nataku ducked, she noticed how good Lei was. She swung her sword furiously, but not recklessly as monkeys with clubs do.

_What is she doing?_, Nataku thought. 

 Then, Lei slashed her sword horizontally in front of Nataku's face. Nataku jumped backward just in time, for the blade barely missed the end of his nose.

Suddenly, Lei stopped attacking. Nataku carefuly stood a few feet away. His apprentice bent over the grass and picked something up. The fighting god stared at the strands of string in her hands. And then, he realized that it wasn't string, it was hair.

"Yatta!" Lei yelled, jumping rejoicingly. "I did it! I did it!"

Nataku looked in front of his face and saw that some of his bangs were cut in half. Lei had succeeded by doing something she was good at better than chasing. Nataku smiled.

Then, he walked over to Lei and hit her on the head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Lei yelled.

"You ruined my bangs! It'll take months to grow these back!" Nataku said furiously.

Though her head ached, Lei smiled as she stared at the strands of hair in her hand. She was, at last, a real fighting god.   


	6. Day of Trial

Chapter five: The Day of Trial

Up in Tenkai, Kami-sama was facing a serious problem, and everyone started to become tense. Even careless and calm Tenpo became rattled.

The army marshal entered the Tenkai library and went straight to the History section, where he took a couple of large, leather-covered books: _Famous Fighting gods, _and _Wars Against Earth (2nd edition)._

He carried them to a reading table, flipped both open, and scanned each page quickly. He didn't even stop for a while to read an interesting part on _The War of 7000 B.C._

Several minutes later, he finally found what he was looking for, slammed the book shut, and went to find Kenren.

"It's amazing, how you cook so well." complimented Lei on Nataku's noodles.

Nataku had sent her to town to buy as pot and some ingredients, and had cooked up lunch for both of them. Lei had even been mistaken for a man (she dresses like one), and was flirted on before she irritatedly hollered the truth that made several girls faint in shock.

"I'm used to cooking." Nataku said as he slurped his noodles, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. 

He remembered how Li Touten would scold him for cooking too slow and shivered.

Suddenly, a glowing ball fell from the sky like a shooting star. Nataku and Lei stared at it and immediately knew that someone had descended.  Nataku stood up and walked to where the sphere landed, Lei following closely behind him.

Nataku led Lei to a clearing, where Kenren stood, a cigarette in his hand.

Nataku skipped the greeting part and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Kenren lighted his cigarette and answered casually, "Tenpo sent me to tell you of what's been happening. I don't know, though, since when a general became a messenger."

Lei stood behind Nataku, listening to every word.

"Tenpo? What did he say?"

"Well…there's a good news and a bad news. The bad news is, the Heaven and Earth Opening Sutras were stolen."

"What happened?" Nataku asked with less surprise.

"There was an attack on a major city miles away from the temples keeping the Sutras. We were sent to dispose of them, but while we were fighting, the Sutras were stolen. The West Army was quickly dispatched to prevent it, but I guess they were too few, since they had to be divided into five troops. It was like an all-out attack from the demons. Someone very powerful must be controlling them."

Nataku looked pensive for a while, and then, he said, "And the good news?"

"Zerev was spell-bound in south-east Togenkyo-somewhere at the foot of Mt. Jura."

"That's about fifty miles way. It will take us less than a day to fly there," Lei said knowingly.

As Nataku walked away, Lei felt Kenren's eyes on her. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, slightly irritated.

"Since when is it illegal to look at you?" Kenren answered with a sarcastic curl of the lip.

"It's not. I just feel like you want to say something," said Lei.

Kenren inserted his hands into his pockets.

"I just can't get used to the idea that you're a girl."

"It's not very hard to get used to," Lei answered and turned away.

Zerev's most faithful follower, Jiro, knelt in front of his spell-bound master as if worshipping him. The Heaven and Earth Opening Sutras were laid around him, and candles were lit nearby, giving the cavern a shrine-like look.

A demon loomed into view around him. Hearing his footsteps, Jiro stood up and called, "Come."

As the demon walked nearer, Jiro took out a dagger. Unexpectedly, he turned around and slashed his fellow demon's neck. Jiro's victim clutched his throat and stared at Jiro with a horrified look on his face. Then, he fell to the ground.

Jiro tok a cup and filed it with the demon's blood. He slowly walked to his master and poured the red liquid around Zerev's feet. Then, he walked back to the Sutras and unscrolled each one. He then read the incantations. He didn't neen a Sanzo; he had already read one's memory.

A blinding, white light filled the cavern as Jiro read the incantations louder, and the Sutras began to float and glow. The blood, which was poured around Zerev's feet, began to get _absorbed _into Zerev's statue-like figure and climbed up his legs. The life-giving liquid flowed through his body like his own blood, reviving every part of his body ever so slowly. Little by little, Zerev's body became less stone-like and turned to flesh. The blood reached his head, and Zerev gave out a loud yell as he flexed the muscles that had been dormant for so long.

As Jiro finished his incantation, the Sutras slowly fell to the ground and Zerev stood alive as ever, before his loyal servant.

For the first time, Homura looked down from Tenkai. He gazed at the earth below and felt a pang of worry.

"It's started…it's really started…" he murmured.

Though an impending danger was felt throughout Tenkai, Kami-sama (and even more, Li Touten) didn't want the army to help Nataku. All Homura could do was say, "Good luck, Nataku-sama."

***

Mentor and apprentice flew swiftly through the sky. The humans below gaped at the two streaming paths in the sky and took it a sign of good luck. Though in truth, something very unlucky had already happened…

A pillar of smoke rose up in Nataku's view, half a mile from Mt. Jura.

"Something big is burning," said Lei as she judged the thickness of the smoke.

Nataku ignored it. Curious, Lei swooped down to investigate, but her mentor flew on, not noticing her dissapear from behind him.

Lei soon caught sight of a village that was being attacked by a gang of demons. She hadn't even landed and already, a few demons shot at her. Lei dodged them and landed quickly, but an arrow grazed her leg.

She ignored her minor injury and hid behind the ruins of a torn-down house. She looked around and saw that the town was in total chaos. Houses burned, children cried, women screamed, and demons ran all over the place.

Something in the corner of her mind told her to return to Nataku, but the villagers' pitiful state told her to help, and her thoughts of her master were all driven away.

"Jiro-sama, gods! They're here!" yelled an alarmed demon as he ran to his master.

"The Heavenly Army?" asked Jiro. "Don't worry, Master Zerev is with us. How many are they?"

"One. But we're not too sure. There may be more."

"_What?_" Jiro said, enraged. "How dare they under-estimate us! Send our best men to fight this god. We'll teach him not to under-estimate our master."

"What the-" Nataku exclaimed as he looked behind him. Lei wasn't there.  "Where is that stupid girl now?"

Irritated, Nataku began to fly back to find her, but stopped when he saw half a dozen demons gathered under a patch of trees at the foot of the mountain.

He remained suspended in midair for a few seconds and pondered on his choice. Then, he clucked his tongue and flew to the demons. Lei can wait; Zerev can't.

He swooped down, unnoticed, behind a tree. The demons were gathered in a circle at a mouth of a cave and seemed to be engrossed in a conversation.

"Why does the master need guards if he's as strong as they say?" complained one. "We should be enjoying in the village by now."

Another smirked and said, "Don't complain. He's weak. It's been 8000 years, you know."

"Should we give him a woman? He hasn't fucked for 8000 years." said one.

His companions laughed loudly.

Nataku gritted his teeth. He came too late to stop the revival.

He tried to inch nearer, but he stepped on a dried twig that made a very audible _crack!_

The demons jumped and looked at eh place where Nataku was. One of them pulled out a scimitar.

Finding no choice, Nataku went out in the open. The demons stared at the charka on his forehead, then pulled out weapons like knives, swords, and such.

Nataku assumed a stance, narrowed his eyes, and looked at his opponents. Then, a few more demons appeared. Atleast at first, it was a few, but more demons began to come out from the cave. Some jumped down from the ledge above the cave, while some came from the sides. What were once only six demons became more than 5 hundred. Nataku stared.

When the demons attacked all at once, Nataku yelled a battle cry, his fists held ready in front of him.

Just when the whorde of demons were about to attack, Nataku's eyes went wide, as if overwhelmed by his opponents' number. He dropped his fists, yelled in fright, turned around, and ran away.

"AAAAAH!!"

"Aaaaah!"

Lei was running away from her opponents, who were about 2 hundred. One of them was as big as two houses put together.

"I definitely didn't wish for this!" she muttered as she ran like hell, her swords hanging uselessly from her waist.

She looked back, and saw that the demons were gaining on her. She ran even faster, still looking behind her. Suddenly, she heard a familiar yell. She looked in front of her and saw Nataku's face a couple of feet from her.

"Aack! Nataku-sama, save me!" she cried and unconsciously hugged her master in fright.

Nataku was apparently shocked and blinked.

Next chapter: On, To The Battle Field!


	7. On, To The Battlefield!

Chapter six: On, To The Battlefield!

"Aha! I knew it!" Shien exclaimed as he gazed at Gekai.

The whole Heavenly Army was watching, including Kanzeon Bosatsu and Tenpo. The lotus pond had turned into a movie theater, and almost everyone was watching Nataku and Lei below.

"Lucky Nataku! I wish _I_ were there," said Kenren.

Homura straightened, yelled, "Quiet! I'm watching," and looked down again.

Shocked, Nataku blinked several times before pulling himself away from Lei.

"Stupid! We should be fighting!"

"Oh, right! Sorry!" Lei squeaked, getting back to her senses.

She pulled out her swords and faced her back against Nataku's. Nataku removed his power-control device, and his hair flowed around him like black silk. Lei did the same and removed her gauntlets.

The battle started, and the demons bravely attacked the fighting gods. Lei killed three with one slash. Another one attacked from her right and swung a sword at her. She met his sword with hers, and thrust her other sword into the demons stomach. As the demon fell to the ground, another one attacked her from behind. Lei pulled out her sword from the dead demons middle and slashed the bloody blade behind her. The demon ducked and slashed a dagger, making a long, horizontal cut across Lie's belly. She covered the wound with her arm and thrust her sword into the demons chest.

Then, gathering her energy, she created an energy ball twice as large as  a basketball and released it toward the demons.

_Boom!_

About fifty demons were wiped out.

In the few minutes that no demons attacked her, Lei tore off her sleeves and tied it around her waist to cover her wound, then continued fighting.

Ntaku, on the other hand, was using more fiery energy balls and was wiping out a number of demons. The fighting god tumbled out of a giant demon's reach and blasted another thirty demons. Then, the large demon was able to grab him around the middle and raise him high in the air. The child-like fighting god was like a mere doll to the demon. 

"_Hanase_!" yelled Nataku as he wriggled inside the demon's large hands.

His captor squeezed him, and Nataku screamed in pain. But Nataku wasn't going to lose in such a way. He clamped his jaw shut and narrowed his eyes. Then, the demon's hands began to glow. Something inside them was producing a bright light. All of a sudden, the demon's hands exploded. The handless demon screamed in pain and backed away, while Nataku leaped away and landed on the ground. 

As the large demon howled over his lost hands, Nataku formed a large energy ball and blew him to smithereens.

The fighting god wiped his forehead with his sleeve. Injured by his own attack, Nataku smeared his sleeve with his blood. He began to walk away when he felt something soft loosely wrapped around his ankles. He immediately looked down and gasped.

The Heavenly Army had been watching quietly. They stared at Nataku for ten second before bursting into a chorus of hearty guffaws. Toushin Nataku Taishi was wearing white boxer shorts with a picture of a roaring lion at the very center.

Nataku stared at his pants. The garter had snapped and it fell into a heap around his feet. The fighting god pulled it up quickly, reddening in shame, and tied the garter. Then he looked up to the sky, raised an eyebrow, and addressing it to the Heavenly Army, made "the finger".

Up in Tenkai, Homura laughed even louder.

Meanwhile, Jiro was reporting to his master. 

"A couple of gods attacked, master. But don't worry, we'll kill them soon." Jiro assured.

Zerev smiled mysteriously.

"Gods? Interesting. I want to face them myself," he said in a low voice. 

"But master, you're too weak- "

"I am _not _weak," Zerev said sternly.

Jiro looked up to his master with concern. But how could he go against his master?

"I'll… I'll get you something first. You need blood," Jiro muttered and began to walk away, but Zerev called him back.

Jiro turned around to see his master giving a sinister grin.

"No."said Zerev. "Yours will be fine."

With that, Zerev jumped at Jiro and bore his claws deep into his servant's chest. Jiro stared with shock at his master and retained that expression as he fell to the ground.

"Yaah!" Lei yelled as she swung her sword into a long, vertical slash. The demon in front of her was cut in half. Breathing heavily and very tired, she rested for a while by kneeling and using her sword to help hold her up.

The goddess was now a terrible sight. Her clothes were ripped at the sleeve and pants, and her minor wounds now bled a lot because of her constant movement. Her black hair fell lank around her head, some covering her face. She hadn't expected to fight so many opponents, and she was exhausted.

Having rested for a while, she stood up and readied to fight again. The demons were quite afraid to go near her and attacked with hesitation. Three brave ones attacked first, and Lei simply cut them into pieces.

Some demons became terrified and ran away.

All of a sudden, a voice said in aloud voice, "Cowards."

Lei turned to her right and saw a demon come nearer.

He was quite handsome for a demon, for he looked almost human, if you don't notice the long ears and the long, silvery hair that cascaded down his back. He looked like an ordinary 30-year-old, and his physique was what you would expect for a powerful and feared demon. He was stripped to the waist and had a confident and evil air, and Lei could tell that he was very powerful.  

Lei readied herself and assumed a stance. The demon stretched his arm out to another and ordered, "Give me a sword."

The addressed quickly picked up a scimitar from the ground and handed it with trembling hands to the white-haired demon.

Lei's opponent (all the other demons ran away) assumed a stance that was quite familiar to her. He stood with his left foot in front of the right and stretched his left arm forward, his body slightly facing to the right. He held his weapon with his right hand and pointed the tip of the blade forward, bringing the scimitar in level with his shoulder.

All too quickly, the demon attacked. Lei positioned her swords in an "X" to shield herself. The demon's weapon was just about to clash with hers when he suddenly disappeared. For several agonizing moments, Lei stared at the empty space in front of her. Then, she sensed someone behind her and tried to turn around, but it was too late. The demon appeared behind her and slashed his sword diagonally, cutting a wound across Lei' back.

She stumbled forward and fell on her hands and knees, while her swords fell beside her.

The demon stood over her, his weapon still in hand. Lei grabbed her sword and swung it low to cut across her opponent's ankles, but he jumped away too soon.

"You call yourself a kami? You're weak," he mocked.

Lei felt an agonizing pain on her back, but she managed to stand with the help of one of her swords. Still determined, she gripped her sword's handle with two hands and resumed her stance.

"Remember what Nataku-sama taught…" Lei muttered to herself.

Then, she attacked. She flew at him with great speed and swung her sword with the same force and style that she did with the waterfall, but amazingly, her opponent met her sword with his. The loud clash of metal against metal was heard all throughout the battlefield. Lei jumped back and then attacked him again and again, every time using the same powerful force she used before. Her opponent protected himself with his scimitar, not noticing himself back up.

For several seconds, all that was heard was the clashing of their swords. 

"Yaah!" Lei yelled as she swung a blow that sent the demon's sword flying out of his hands.

She slashed her sword to make the final blow, but the demon leaped out of her blade's reach.

The demon started emitting several energy balls in rapid succession. Lie ran around with great speed, easily avoiding the exploding spheres. Then, she leaped at him and swung her sword downward, but he was able to stop the blade by clamping it between his bare hands.

Lei was stunned by how powerful he was. He gripped the blade and wretched it from its owner's hands. With the same quick movement, his hands went to Lei' throat.

Lei clawed at his arm, choking, but he clutched her throat in an iron grip.

"You think you're good, brat? I don't think so," the demon sneered angrily as he raised Lei slightly from the ground.

Lei moved her feet, and they hit something on the ground. Lei ignored it for a while and tried to kick him, but she was too weak to hit him hard enough in the legs, nor raise them high enough to kick him higher. Not wanting to die and feeling her neck get crushed little by little, she concentrated on the object that she had kicked earlier. She felt it with her foot and realized that it was her sword. 

She positioned it vertically toward her captor, and then, concentrating al her energy on her leg, she swung her leg sideways and kicked her sword's handle as hard as she could. The blade spun around on the ground and cut across the demon's ankles.

"Aaargh!" he yelled as he let Lei go and collapsed to the ground. 

Lei fell on her back and backed away, feeling her throat.

"Stupid bitch," the demon muttered and formed an energy ball. 

He was just about to release it when another one came from his right.

Lei watched as the demon looked to his right, and then an energy ball came from out nowhere and exploded right where he stood. The blast was so powerful that Lei was thrown away by the shockwave.

Slowly, the fog of dust cleared, and Lei saw very vividly, Nataku, who was satnding right where the energy ball came from.

"Nataku-sama!" Lei exclaimed with surprise and relief.

"Get up, Lei. The fight isn't over yet." Nataku told her.

Indeed, it wasn't. Who Lei thought was already blown to smithereens stood ten feet away from the blast. 


	8. Heaven Against Hell

Chapter seven: Heaven Against Hell

The lotus pond in Tenkai was now crowded. The Heavenly Army was cheering with their own routine. It even included a costume; everyone was stripped to the waist and wore boxer shorts with a roaring lion at the center. Kenren and Homura were the choreographers and danced like idiots while chanting, "Go Taishi, go Taishi, go!" Kanzeon bosatsu fell off her chair while laughing hysterically, and Jirou shin was shrieking for order. In Togenkyo, however, things were much more serious.

"Zerev.." Nataku muttered, staring at the demon with narrowed eyes.

"So _he's_ Zerev," Lei murmured to herself.

She stood up and watched the two powerful beings eye each other. The real battle was only going to begin.

Nataku and Zerev assumed the exact same stance. Then, they attacked at the exact same time.

As soon as they clashed, Zerev swung his fist at Nataku. The fighting god ducked and brought his leg to Zerev's stomach. The demon caught Nataku's leg just in time, gripped it, and then swung Nataku around and around. When he let go, Nataku was thrown away and collided with a rock wall, breaking it down. The wall collapsed onto the fighting god.

"Nataku-sama!" Lei shrieked.

She flew at Zerev and hurled her fist at him. The demon avoided it, grabbed her arm, and broke it. Lei yelled in pain and Zerev kicked her away. She knocked into a tree and lost consciousness. Zerev turned to the collapsed wall. He knew the fighting god was still fit to fight. A couple of seconds later, the rocks began to shift, and Nataku dug his way out of the rock mound. He was al dirty and his white robes were now gray. He brushed the dust off his robes and resumed his stance as if nothing happened. 

Zerev licked his lips and attacked. He flew at Nataku and hurled his fist at him. Nataku missed the punch by inches, Zerev's fist whistling by past his ear. Then, leaped away and released an energy ball, but Zerev avoided it. Then, the fighting god gave a series of kicks. The demon barely avoided each one. Then, he again caught Nataku's left leg. 

"Oh, no you don't," muttered Nataku.

He spun around, twisted his left leg, and swung his right foot into Zerev's face. 

Now released, Nataku attacked again.

The fight went on for hours. Nataku, having been weakened before the fight with Zerev, sustained more injuries. His left ankle was sprained, his forehead was bleeding, his side was in pain because of a broken rib, and only his right eye was open because of the swelling just above his brow.

Zerev had just hit Nataku in the stomach and threw Nataku away, sending him skidding across the ground.

Nataku remained standing, but sputtered a mouthful of blood.

The fighting god gritted his teeth. It would be a bleak chance if he could ever beat Zerev in his weakened and injured state. If only he thought of conserving his energy before… There was only one choice…

Lei moaned and opened her eyes. She was feeling a terrible pain on her back, and her arm was stinging.

She looked up and saw both Zerev and Nataku, hunched and breathing heavily as they stared at each other. Nataku heard her stir and took a quick glance at her. Then, a voice spoke in Lei's mind.

_Lei, get the Heaven and Earth Sutras._

The voice sounded very familiar.

"Nataku-sama?" Lei muttered.

Nataku was communicating with her telepathically.

Yes, now listen. Go get the Sutras. They're the only things we can use against Zerev. I already taught you how to use them, right? I'll show you where they are.

_Show me?_

Before Lei could ask anymore, a vision entered her mind. It was of an opening to a cave, somewhere in the woods at the bottom of the mountain.

You shouldn't have any trouble. Hurry, I'll try to fight while I still can.

Lei stood up slowly by pulling herself up the tree on which she leaned on. Finding it difficult to walk, she floated low toward the cave, unnoticed by Zerev, who was still busy fighting with Nataku.

Zerev looked maliciously at the badly bleeding fighting god who could hardly stand in front of him. Nataku was now very weak and was loosing blood. A few more bows and he would probably be finished.

Zerev began to form an energy ball, but Nataku just smiled. He was looking at something behind the demon. Zerev turned around and gasped.

Lei was standing behind him, unrolling the Sutras.

"Now, Lei!" Nataku ordered.

Zerev became alarmed and started toward Lei. "Noo!"

Nataku leaped up from behind and fastened his arms around Zerev's neck. The demon tried to get to Lei, but Nataku wrestled him to the ground.

"Lei, do it now!" Nataku yelled.

Lei hesitated.

"But, you might-"

"Just do it!"

Lei worriedly nodded and read the incantation.

Zerev, however, started to raise his arm to form an energy ball, but Nataku wasn't about to let him.

"Spellbind!" yelled Nataku.

But Zerev still fought against the spell. He was still capable to move slightly. Nataku's type of spell binding wasn't powerful enough for such a demon.

But then, Lei's spell started to take effect. Zerev started slowing down. Nataku, though still held on to him and made sure that he couldn't stand nor raise and arm.

Lei started to worry and contacted him telepathically.

_Nataku-sama, get off him!_

"Not yet… just a little more…" Nataku muttered. 

Zerev forced himself to move. He began to stand up and raise his arm, but Lei was already at the last part of the incantation.

_Natku-sama! _Lei yelled inside her head.

Just when she thought it was too late for him to get away, Nataku kicked himself away from Zerev just before Lei yelled, "Spellbind!"

As soon as Zerev was spellbound, Lei fell to her knees, completely exhausted. She looked up to the sky with a silent joy, hardly noticing Nataku limp toward her.

"It's over…" she muttered and fainted.


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue:

It's weird how two mummy-like gods can become so famous in Tenkai. But Lei and Nataku were indeed the center of Tenkai after their chivalrous battle in Gekai. The two received quite a welcoming parade, where all the gods in Tenkai came. Well, at least all except their parents.

After a week in the hospital, the two were brought to a bar for a victory party planned by the Heavenly Army. The doctors were quite disapproving, though.

"Nice party, eh?" Kenren asked and gave Lei a pat on the back.

"Ow!" Lei exclaimed. She hasn't healed completely yet.

"Sorry!" Kenren said not quit sincerely and joined the celebrating crowd.

Lei was sitting on a stool in front of the counter, contenting herself with drinking a couple of glasses of beer. Nataku, on the other hand, was already fit to join a head-butting contest. There was even a heavy-drinker contest. All went well until someone burst open the door and yelled, "Yung Lei!"

Everyone suddenly stopped partying and stared at the doorway. There stood Misao, the Goddess of Chastity. She was looking very mad and had her hands on her hips, her face contorted in a scary frown.

To Lei it was the most frightening sight of all. She sighed deeply and lowered her head, then started to walk toward her mother. It was no use to explain; her mother would probably just make a scene. Lei thought bitterly of how everything would be back to normal, and everything that just happened was another dream that couldn't possibly be true.

She was just a few feet from Misao when someone suddenly spoke behind her.

"Excuse me, ma'am."

Lei turned around. It was Nataku. 

The fighting god walked past Lei and faced her mother. Then, he made a sign of respect and began to talk.

"Miss, I know you don't approve of your daughter's joining the army, and I understand that you are only trying to look after her. But sometimes you have to let your child go and realize her dreams and make her own decisions…"

Lei stared, not knowing whether to be thankful or horrified. Her mother's jaws were clamped shut, but Lei knew her too well that she was too furious to talk. Nataku was going to make it worse. 

The fighting god spoke to Misao without the slightest expression. The few minutes that the goddess of chastity stayed silent seemed like ages to Lei. 

When Nataku was done, Misao crossed her arms and looked at her daughter with anger, but as much as she hated fighting gods, she also feared them. Making her decision, the goddess sighed and tried to keep her voice low.

"All right. But she's your responsibility." she told Nataku then walked away silently.

Nataku turned to Lei, gave her a small smile, and said, "Congratulations, Sergeant."

Lei smiled too.

 Her mother might reject her as her daughter, but what the heck? At least she's free now to realize her only dream.


End file.
